Hamilton downed at Wesleyan

Kyle Gibson '15 racked up 244 rushing yards on 35 carries and scored the go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter as Wesleyan University topped Hamilton College 34-14 in a NESCAC game at Wesleyan's Corwin Stadium on Sept. 29.

Jesse Warren '15 completed 16-of-25 passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for one score. Kevin Hughes '14 led the Cardinals with 60 receiving yards on four catches and a touchdown. John Vassar '16 hauled in the other touchdown pass for Wesleyan. Sebastian Aguirre '14 connected on 2-of-3 field goals and all four extra point attempts.

Hamilton was led by Jeff Hopsicker '15, who completed 10-of-15 passing for 117 yards and a touchdown. James Stannell '14 rushed for 81 yards on 24 carries and Kevin Petrick '13 caught four passes for game-high 74 yards. Petrick had one receiving touchdown and Pat Donadio '15 added a rushing touchdown. Garrett Hoy '13 was a perfect 2-for-2 on extra points.

The Continentals (0-2) took a 7-0 lead with 9:33 remaining in the second quarter after a scoreless first. Hopsicker found Petrick over the middle for a 35-yard touchdown in which he out raced the Cardinal defense into the endzone.

Wesleyan (2-0) cut the lead to one following a pair of field goals by Aguirre of 25-yards and 22-yards. The later as time expired in the first half which sent Hamilton into the locker room with a 7-6 lead.

With 7:04 remaining in the third quarter, a two-yard run by Gibson gave the Cardinals a 13-7 lead that they would not relinquish. The score led to a 21-0 run for Wesleyan that extended into the fourth quarter. Warren's rushing touchdown came with 30 second left in the third quarter and gave the Cardinals a 20-7 lead heading into the last quarter.

Wesleyan scored on their first possession of the fourth quarter on a three-play, 35-yard drive that ended with a 29-yard pass to Hughes with 12:25 remaining.

Hamilton added another touchdown on their next possession, a nine-play drive that started at their own 39-yard line. Back-to-back completions to Petrick and Donadio for first downs lead the Continentals to the Wesleyan 25-yard line. After a pass interference and nine yards on the ground, Donadio punched in Hamilton's second score from the five-yard line and cut the lead to 27-14.

The Cardinals responded right back with a 71-yard drive of their own. On 2-and-11 from their own 28-yard line, Gibson broke free for a 67-yard rush that brought Wesleyan down the Hamilton five-yard line. Two plays later, Warren found Vassar open on the right side of the end zone for a three-yard score with 4:39 to play and a 34-17 final score.

Wesleyan improved its all-time record vs. Hamilton to 24-17-1 and defeated the Continentals for the seventh time in the last eight meetings in Middletown.

Hamilton host Trinity College in their home opener and annual Fallcoming on Saturday, Oct. 6. The Cardinals return to action on Saturday when they travel to Colby College.